Shoes take centre stage in Milan

Forget the dresses on the catwalk at the Gucci show during Milan fashion week, for many it was the shoes which were catching the eye.

All shapes, all sizes, all colours and fabrics, shoes are sometimes overlooked on the catwalk but they and their designers are now catching the full glare of the fashionistas and are becoming as well known as clothes designers worldwide.

Pasquale Fabrizio is regarded as the cobbler to the stars and is always aware of the latest trends. The family originally hail from Italy and have built a reputation for being the Hollywood experts in shoe craftsmanship.

And on the feet of those celebrities, what are the latest trends?

“We’re seeing turquoise, were seeing salmon. A lot of bright colours. Neons are also very big. Everything that has a lot of pizaz, a lot of flash, a lot of colour. It’s illuminating that actually a lot of focus is going on the foot,” he said.

The photographs which adorn his studio are testament to his standing with the stars, Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Rihanna are just a few whose feet have felt the fashion of Pasquale.

In the heart of Los Angeles he designs, crafts, repairs and refurbishes the most elegant shoes for the biggest names in town.

“We do all custom. We do a lot of modifications. A lot of our work is through studio, through celebrities. They’re all looking for different products. They don’t want particularly things off the shelf. They want things that are unique to them and we usually modify and customise for them purposely for that,” Pasquale explained.

Multi-platinum recording artist Anastacia is now a client and you will spot her wearing a pair of Pasquale boots on the cover of her latest album.

“I actually do like a bit of a bright colour. No matter what trend is usually happening. I’ve always not tried to follow as much of the trends as I try to follow what I feel I like, and luckily the trends of hot new colours are in and I can always put on a real bright colour and get away with it,” she said.

Among the many designs was a first – a wearable glass shoe with a specially designed glass sole and his trademark hand-blown Murano glass from Venice.

There is also a shoe in 24 carat gold leaf and mother of pearl. If you fancy a pair be ready to pay anything from 200 to 6,000 euros.